Category «Economy»

Speak Up Before VA Health Care Is Gutted

Military.com: “While controversy swirls around last week’s mass firing of 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs’ employees, a far greater threat to veterans’ health care is going completely unnoticed. Powerful leaders in Congress have quietly unveiled their plan to gut VA-delivered care, wrapped in the misleadingly titled “Veterans’ ACCESS Act.” If veterans don’t act fast, they …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

US Workers Are More Worried Than Hopeful About Future AI Use in the Workplace

“Artificial intelligence is not new to the workplace, but the debut of ChatGPT just over two years ago ushered in an era of rapid expansion. American workers have mixed feelings about how this technology will affect jobs in the future. About half of workers (52%) say they’re worried about the future impact of AI use …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musk’s DOGE are expected to produce no savings

AP: “Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that President Donald Trump’s administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save the government any money, the administration’s own data shows. The Department of Government Efficiency, run by Trump adviser Elon Musk, published an updated list Monday of nearly 2,300 …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Legal Research

Investing in School Libraries and Librarians To Improve Literacy Outcomes

American Prospect – “Libraries and librarians not only spark a love of learning; they are crucial to reversing low reading assessment scores across the country. Since a shocking plunge in math and reading scores on the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), educators, administrators, and policymakers have grappled with how to address learning challenges …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Libraries

Website tracking how many people have lost their jobs because of the USAID Stop-Work Order

US AID STOP WORK – Tracking. Informing: “As of February 19, 2025, 55K confirmed, 100K+ estimated globally – these are the confirmed jobs lost from USAID and their implementing partners who have had to lay off or furlough employees due to the funding freeze. The confirmed number is based on 83 organizations. These numbers are …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Health Care, HIV/AIDS, Medicine

What Is OpenAI’s Powerful New Deep Research Tool Capable Of? I Use It to Analyze the Legality of President Trump’s Pause of Federal Grants

Via LLRX – What Is OpenAI’s Powerful New Deep Research Tool Capable Of? I Use It to Analyze the Legality of President Trump’s Pause of Federal Grants – On February 2, 2025 OpenAI released Deep Research, an AI agent capable of completing multi-step research tasks and synthesizing large amounts of online information. OpenAI’s chief product officer …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

No, 150-Year-Olds Aren’t Collecting Social Security Benefits

Wired:  “Elon Musk has repeatedly claimed that his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project had uncovered massive government fraud when it alleged that 150-year-olds were claiming Social Security benefits. But Musk has provided no evidence to back up his claims, and experts quickly pointed out that this is very likely just a quirk of …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

How an obscure advisory board lets utilities steal $50b/year from ratepayers

Pluralistic:  “Two figures to ponder. First: if your local power company is privately owned, you’ve seen energy rate hikes at 49% above inflation over the last three years. Second: if your local power company is publicly owned, you’ve seen energy rates go up at 44% below inflation over the same period. Power is that much-theorized …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Financial System, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 22, 2025

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 22, 2025 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex …

Subjects: Censorship, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Internet, Privacy, Social Media

Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy

EXECUTIVE ORDER February 19, 2025. By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.  It is the policy of my Administration to dramatically reduce the size of the Federal Government, while increasing its accountability to the American …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Medicine

Trump expected to take control of USPS, fire postal board, officials say

Washington Post [unpaywalled]: “This is something that does not belong to the president or the White House. It belongs to the American people. That goes for everything else they’re trying to steal too.” The move threatens to upend trillions of dollars in e-commerce business and the 250-year-old Postal Service. President Donald Trump is preparing to …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research